Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Plant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Huntsville shifts to a smaller wastewater-plant design to meet new NPDES limits
Summary
Council heard engineers describe a reduced-scope 2 MGD wastewater-plant design to meet new NPDES permit limits for fecal coliform and nitrates, with a guaranteed maximum price expected by July 31 and construction possible as early as October 2025.
Huntsville city staff and engineering consultants on April 14 outlined a scaled-back wastewater-plant design they say will meet new NPDES permit limits set to take effect in mid-2026.
Spencer Briggs of Mlen Engineering told the City Council the project was reduced from a previously planned 3 million-gallon-per-day (MGD) “greenfield” replacement to a 2 MGD design after the city learned a major industrial customer may disconnect from the sewer system. “If they separate, we lose half to two,” Briggs said, and “a 2MGD plant will suffice” to meet projected flows and the new permit requirements.
The presentation stressed two drivers: meeting more stringent effluent limits for fecal coliform and nitrate/nitrite and addressing aging plant equipment (the last major upgrade was in 2007). The proposed work includes upgrades to the headworks and biological treatment (oxidation ditch improvements), disinfection and filtration (including UV), modest electrical upgrades, site-access improvements, and reduced solids-handling improvements such as a polymer feed system.
City and consultant timelines put the engineering specifications and drawings that allow contractor pricing and a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) in council hands by July 31; staff said the city expects to have a GMP from the contractor by that date. Consultants said they hoped to begin construction by October 2025 and estimated six to nine months for construction, which would allow completion before the permit’s compliance milestone in mid-2026.
Mayor and staff members pressed consultants about schedule risk if the industrial user’s decision changes; Briggs said the design work already accounts for both scenarios and that the May design deadline can still be met. The council also discussed the advantage of a smaller project’s lower capital cost and the ability to add capacity later if needed.
Next steps: engineers will finalize specifications to enable contractor pricing and deliver a GMP estimate by July 31; council will consider the contract and construction schedule once the GMP is available.
